Is this destiny?

~ Seattle ~

Sophia in the closet, picking clothes to pack for their trip to Ottawa. The Orion Enterprise annual meeting is coming in few days, and there is a lot to do, but she delegated most of the work to her subordinates and her assistant, Leah, is on top of it. Sophia can take a day off. Or two.

Sophia\'s impression of Damien is very good, and she hopes that Felix will agree to invite him and his family to their wedding. Of course, that will depend on how things go tomorrow. Bridgette told Sophia that Smita and their two sons are nice and friendly, and Sophia is optimistic that it will all work out great.

She and Felix still didn\'t agree if they will extend an invitation to his mother, but that is different topic. As much as Sophia wants to invite Sylvie because it\'s the right thing to do, she cringes whenever she thinks of that woman.

Felix has multiple things to present during Orion Enterprise annual meeting. His department contributed significantly to the increased profits in last two quarters, and as a director, he will be front and center. Sophia is concerned about Felix\'s presentations. She didn\'t see him prepare much… but he said that everything is OK, so she can only believe him.

"Are you taking these?", Felix pointed at three dresses which are separated from others.

Sophia was startled by his voice. "I thought you are working…"

"I can\'t let you do all this.", Felix was working, but when he came to check on Sophia and saw that she is packing, he decided to help out.

Sophia is touched with his concern, but this is not a strenuous activity. "It\'s just packing for a trip." She got a sleepwear from the shelf.

"Still… you should not bend…" He took the sleepwear from her hand and squatted to keep it in the suitcase which is open on the floor and half-filled.

"You had no issues bending me last night."

Felix\'s hands stopped and he cleared his throat. "That was different." He didn\'t lift his head, but Sophia could see that he is smiling, because his dimples made an appearance.

Sophia giggled and embraced him from the back. "I always thought you are a man of integrity… only now I see you have double standards…"

Felix tilted his head to face her. "Only now?" He moved to sit on the floor with his legs crossed and pulled Sophia to settle in the cradle of his thighs. "For you, I would change and break whatever comes my way… what is one man\'s integrity?" Felix nudged her nose with his.

"Smooth talker…", she closed the tiny gap that separated their lips.

…

Next morning, Sophia enjoyed the view of Rideau Canal from their hotel room in Ottawa. There was number of boats going down the canal, people walking on each side waving at the boats, and it was a very nice sight.

Felix told her to rest while he went to get fresh fruits. Sophia didn\'t understand why they didn\'t just call room service, but he insisted to go to the store and pick ripest and freshest ones himself.

They agreed to a lunch with Damien and his family, and to spend the afternoon with them as well.

Felix wanted to have lunch in a restaurant, because it\'s a neutral place. It\'s easier to leave if things don\'t go well. But Sophia remembered how talk between him and Damien was forced in that coffee shop compared to casual chat they had in the apartment, so she accepted Damien\'s invitation for a lunch at their house.

Sophia checked time. Felix was out for a while now… \'Shouldn\'t he be back?\'

Sophia\'s phone rang and she saw that it\'s Sarah. "Hey, baby sis… are you back from your adventure?"

"Yes, big sis… we are back. We are at the Cabin. I was wondering, when is a good time to meet and check out your new house?"

"We will be back in Seattle tomorrow…"

"Where are you?"

"Ottawa. We came to meet Felix\'s father." Sophia was smiling, and it was noticeable in her voice.

"Oh…", Sarah was hoping to meet with Sophia the same day. She wanted to start plans for adding Eve.

"Yeah, it\'s a long story. I will give you details when we meet."

"OK. No problem. It would be nice if Felix is there when we go to see your house." In case they need some new equipment, or modification to existing ones, it will be convenient if Felix is on spot.

"Reason?"

Sarah giggled for some time before answering, "I don\'t want to spoil the surprise, but it\'s not something I can pack and hide anyway… we decided as a wedding gift to give you Eve as security on your house… if you want her."

"Oh! Sarah! That will be amazing! Thank you very much!", Sophia was happy that Sarah thought of this as a present. With Eve around, they don\'t need to worry about many things.

"I hope Felix thinks so too…"

"I\'m sure he will. I will tell him when he comes back."

"Aren\'t you in a hotel, in Ottawa? How come he is not with you?"

"Huh… Felix went to get fresh fruits for me. He said that the ones hotel provide are not ripe and fresh enough."

Sarah laughed. "He is pampering you. Enjoy! … I wish that I get such a treatment."

"Are you saying that Aiden is not treating you well?"

Sarah regretted her choice of words, but it is the truth that Sophia gets much more pampering than Sarah if they compare their relationships. "It\'s not that he is not treating me well, but he is not… indulging me so much."

"You can\'t accuse him of not doing something that you are not allowing him to do."

"What do you mean?"

Sophia paused and made sure to pick her words carefully. She does not want to offend Sarah or to get Aiden into trouble. "Let\'s say that you can be… competitive. If you want to allow him to indulge you, you should slow down and give him a chance to do things for you… You tend to do everything yourself… Do you understand?"

"I see…" Sarah didn\'t want Sophia to notice how her words affected Sarah greatly and rushed to end the call. "That aside, I will give you a call tomorrow to see when a good time is to meet. OK?"

"Sounds good."

"OK. Enjoy Ottawa!", Sarah hanged up.

Sophia kept the phone to the side and returned her gaze to the view of Rideau Canal from their hotel room window.

~ Seattle area, Cabin ~

Sarah ended the call with Sophia and was thinking about her words. It\'s not that she wants Aiden to pamper her how much Felix pampers Sophia… but maybe just a bit more would be nice. Sarah enjoys when Aiden does things for her and shows her that he cares. Who wouldn\'t? Is it possible that she is not giving him chances to do that?

Sarah walked out and saw Aiden on the terrace. He was watching seven kids while they practiced their moves, by themselves, down in the training area.

He glanced at Sarah when she approached him. "What did Sophia say?"

"They are in Canada now and will come back tomorrow. I will call her then to see when a good time is to visit their house."

"OK.", Aiden acknowledged that he heard her without lifting his gaze from the kids below.

Sarah looked at him and asked after some hesitation. "Am I… competitive?"

"Extremely.", he responded without missing a beat.

"Do you… dislike that part of me?"

He lifted his gaze and looked at Sarah. "Did something happen?"

She didn\'t respond.

Aiden stepped closer and embraced her.

"I love you just the way you are…", he whispered in her ear.

He is not sure what made her ask that question, but he felt her relax and wrap her arms around him. That told him that his answer was good enough to calm whatever conflict she was facing. Aiden found interesting that a confident woman like Sarah has these moments of insecurity when she needs encouragement.. He made a mental note to show her how special she is to him more often.